Women's Basketball Continues WCC Play

This Week
Santa Clara continues conference play next with a home-and-home series with San Diego. The action starts Wednesday at the Toreros' Jenny Craig Pavilion, the site of the 2002 WCC Championships. The rematch will take place three days later at Santa Clara.

Last Chance at USD for Seniors
Senior guards Becki Ashbaugh and Caroline Gruening have yet to defeat San Diego on the road in the regular season. Last year was the closest the duo got when the Broncos lost by one point in the closing seconds. Wednesday's match at Jenny Craig Pavilion will be the pair's last chance for a road victory against the Toreros.

Ashbaugh Notches 500 Assists
Senior guard Becki Ashbaugh's sixth assist of the night, made with just under five minutes to go in the first half against Gonzaga for a Courtney Cushing lay up, marked the 500th or her career. Currently with 501, Ashbaugh becomes only the second Bronco reach the milestone. She has 98 to go before tying current career leader Jennifer Lucas' (1986-89) 591 mark. In the WCC, she ranks fifth all time.

Thomas Named WCC Co-Player of the WeekQuinn Thomas was named the West Coast Conference/Rawlings Women's Basketball Co-Players of the Week for her play in two league victories at home against Gonzaga and Portland last week. She shares the honor with Saint Mary's senior center Jermisha Dosty. Thomas had a perfect night for the Santa Clara Broncos against the Bulldogs. The reserve scored a team-high 19 points on 7-of-7 shooting from the floor and 5-of-5 from three-point land, tying a school record. Thomas added five rebounds and three steals to the game. In the win over the Pilots, Thomas was 8-of-14 from the field and 5-of-10 from behind the arc. She posted a game-high 22 points and added five boards and four steals.

Three-Point Touch against Gonzaga
Santa Clara seems to have the long-distance touch whenever it faces Gonzaga at home. On Thursday, Quinn Thomas was a perfect 5-of-5 from three-point range-tying a school record-and led Santa Clara to 11 three-point field goals on the night, two short of the school record, set against Gonzaga at home during the 1999-2000 season. Thursday night's mark surpassed the next best shooting night from three-point land, 10 vs. Gonzaga last season at the Leavey Center. Individually, Thomas matched guard Becki Ashbaugh's 5-of-5 performance as a sophomore against the Bulldogs two seasons ago.

Charity Strip Madness
The Broncos are making 75 percent of their free throws on the season, but have been on fire as of late. Thursday night against Gonzaga, SCU made all four free throw attempts in the first half, the second straight period the team has shot 100 percent, following a 15-15 performance from the charity stripe in the second half against TCU on Jan. 3.

Live on the Internet
Santa Clara's league contests can be heard on a live Internet audio broadcast on www.SantaClaraBroncos.com. Additionally, all home contests can be followed online with a live statistical tracker, also located on Santa Clara's official athletic website. By logging on, fans can receive real-time updated statistics direct from the official scoring computer allowing users to listen to the audio broadcast and keep up with the statistics simultaneously. The features were introduced midway through last season and have been enjoyed for the team's entire regular season home schedule. Anthony Passarelli begins his first season as the voice of the Broncos.

Scouting the San Diego Toreros
Series Record: SCU leads 22-14
First Game: Santa Clara won 59-41 on Jan. 4, 1985 in Santa Clara
Last Game: San Diego won 64-63 on Feb. 3, 2001 in San Diego
Largest SCU Margin of Victory: 37, twice, last on Jan. 31, 1997 (80-43) in Santa Clara
Largest USD Margin of Victory: 17 on Jan. 24, 1990 (80-63) in Santa Clara
USD Record in 2000-2001: 10-16, (5-9, 6th in West Coast Conference)
Letterwinners Returning/Lost: 11/2
Starters Returning/Lost: 3/2
Notable: San Diego is 10-5 on the season after splitting its first weekend of conference play at home... It's only two losses at the Jenny Craig Pavilion came to No. 4 Iowa State and Gonzaga, both in overtime... Janeen Arendsen went 5-7 from three-point range last weekend.

In the WCC Statistics
Santa Clara leads the league in four categories: scoring offense (77.4 ppg), scoring margin (+12.1), field goal percentage (.446) and rebounding margin (+3.1). The Broncos are second in three-point field goal percentages (.393), free throw percentages (.747) and assists (18.20). Individually, Becki Ashbaugh is second in assists (6.00) while Caroline Gruening is 10th (3.40). Ashbaugh is also ranked in free throw percentage, second with a .830 mark. Additionally, Gruening is second in three-point percentage (.469) and fifth in field goals made (2.00). Kendra Rhea is ranked seventh in rebounds (6.3) while Julie Butler is ninth in the WCC in field goal percentage with her .443 average.

Up Next: Continuing Conference Play
Santa Clara continues conference play next with a home-and-home series with San Diego. The action starts Wednesday at the Toreros' Jenny Craig Pavilion, the site of the 2002 WCC Championships. The rematch will take place three days later at Santa Clara. USD is 9-4 overall, 7-1 at home, it's only loss at the JCP was an overtime game against No. 4 Iowa State.

The WCC Basketball Championship
For the second consecutive year, the Broncos will have to travel for the chance at the league title. Last season, the West Coast Conference left the Mission Campus for the first time in three years to host its annual basketball showcase, as the 2001 WCC Women's Basketball Championships took place last March at San Diego's Jenny Craig Pavilion. Renovations to the Leavey Center prompted the change in venue, but the Toreros did such a good job hosting, the 2002 tournament is returning to the JCP. The tournament will take place February 28 through March 4, with the women's semifinal games beginning March 1 at 6 p.m., with the championship slated for a 2:30 p.m. start on March 3. The title contest will air live on Fox Sports West, KRON and Action Sports. Santa Clara is offering a Super Pass that will allow admission to all the men's and women's games with seating located in the Broncos' section for $65. Please visit www.SantaClaraBroncos.com or call 408-554-4660 to order tickets.